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Multifaceted Interventions Inclusive of Medication Optimization for Frailty in Aged Care: A Systematic Review

C. Njoku, Fiona Barnett, M. F. Fiatarone Singh, Trinidad Valenzuela, Michael Inskip

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2024

1,030 participants · 5 citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES

Implementation of best practice frailty guidelines in residential aged care is currently unclear, and there is a particular scarcity of evidence regarding multifaceted frailty treatments inclusive of medication optimization in these settings, despite the bidirectional relationship between polypharmacy and frailty. This review aimed to retrieve all relevant literature and evaluate the effect of medication optimization delivered in conjunction with exercise and/or nutritional interventions in the best-practice management of frailty in residential aged care.

DESIGN

Systematic review with a qualitative synthesis.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

Older adults residing within residential aged care (otherwise referred to as nursing homes or long-term care).

METHODS

The protocol was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (Reg. No.: CRD42022372036) using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Five electronic databases were searched from inception to November 23, 2023, with alerts monitored until March 28, 2024. Quality of studies was assessed using the ROB 2 and ROBIN-1 tools.

RESULTS

A total of 10,955 articles were retrieved; 62 full articles were reviewed, with 3 studies included (2 randomized controlled trials and 1 nonrandomized controlled trial) involving 1030 participants. Included studies did not use specific frailty scores but reported individual components of frailty such as weight loss or number of medications…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 1,030 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

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